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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Among the many pieces of advice offered by “Planetarium” players, there was this:
“If you plan to pursue the Academy storyline, start as early as possible.”
The reason was simple.
The Academy storyline was packed with events that boosted the protagonist’s growth, and these growth events were most effective at younger ages.
For example, the “Greedy Prodigal” could start the game at age 15.
The Academy entrance exam event occurred at the end of that very year, allowing players to clear it almost immediately after starting the game and begin the Academy storyline at age 16, maximizing efficiency.
Well, in theory.
‘Efficiency be damned, I need to pass the entrance exam first.’
In my previous life, I had cleared the game with three templates: “Nameless War Ghost,” “Heir of Red and Blue Blood,” and “Proud Barbarian.”
And I had pursued the Academy storyline twice.
But I had never succeeded in passing the Academy entrance exam in the starting year.
And I wasn’t alone. Based on other players’ reviews, very few managed this feat due to the exam’s brutal difficulty.
Players often lamented whether it was an entrance exam for an academy or a selection process for special agents.
Even though the protagonists available as templates were among the most talented individuals in the game world, their abilities at the start of the game were limited.
Many players, aiming for maximum efficiency, attempted the Academy entrance exam right away, only to waste time and restart or give up and wait for the following year (the “Planetarium” autosave system prevented save-and-load).
Most of the posts boasting of first-year acceptance featured the “Heir of Red and Blue Blood,” the template with the highest starting stats.
Occasionally, there were posts about other templates succeeding after numerous attempts, thanks to sheer luck.
‘I’ve never seen a post about a “Greedy Prodigal” passing in the first year, though.’
If even templates like the “Nameless War Ghost,” with their strong combat abilities, barely managed to pass with luck, how could the less capable “Greedy Prodigal” possibly succeed?
The standard “Greedy Prodigal” playthrough involved skipping the first entrance exam and strengthening the character before attempting it the following year.
Many players didn’t even bother with the Academy storyline when playing as the “Greedy Prodigal.”
But I was different.
‘Two years of preparation time. If I use it wisely, it should be feasible.’
If the problem was insufficient starting abilities, then I just needed to improve them beforehand.
I had secured the necessary funds for preparations, so all that remained was to boost my stats.
And naturally, this wasn’t just about me.
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“I am Pnos, and I will be in charge of Lady Regret’s education from today. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“……………….”
Regret’s expression soured at the formally dressed, silver-haired man’s polite greeting.
She turned to me and her eyes conveyed a clear message:
-What is this?
Responding to her unspoken question, I said,
“Your tutor.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Hold on.”
Regret pressed a hand to her forehead, as if she had a headache.
“I’m a bodyguard, right? I was hired as a bodyguard. Why do I need to study?”
“What are you talking about? This is part of your bodyguard duties.”
“What does protecting you have to do with me studying?!”
I explained to Regret, whose voice had risen in genuine bewilderment,
“Listen. You’re strong, but you’re not invincible. You agree with that, right?”
“…Yes.”
“So you need to become even stronger. You’re not planning to be complacent, are you?”
“…Right.”
“But without knowledge, your growth will be limited. If you can’t read, you can’t study martial arts manuals, and the more you know, the faster you can make decisions in critical situations. It’s okay, it won’t be too difficult. Even if you’re a blockhead, with thorough repetition… wait, put your hand down. Civilized people resolve their issues through conversation!”
“You may not know this, young master, but an uneducated, thick-headed mercenary prefers this method over such refined solutions.”
As Regret silently cracked her knuckles, I exclaimed,
“If you master reading and writing, I’ll give you one of the best weapons from the Cubes!”
“………….”
Regret seemed to consider it deeply, then sighed.
“…Two. And do something about that creepy ‘Lady’ title. It gives me the chills.”
“Alright, alright. Did you hear that, Pnos?”
“Yes, Master Chrom.”
I thought to myself,
I was thinking of three, but it turned out to be cheaper than expected.
I now had a reason to make the other tutor candidates address Regret as “Lady” as well.
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[○ Month ○ Day. I’ve started writing a diary to practice the letters I’ve learned.
According to Pnos, I’m learning very quickly for someone who started late, but I’m skeptical.
Whenever Clark taught something new to another mercenary, his usual line was, ‘You useless bum! You’re hopeless at everything else, but you’re a quick learner when it comes to XX!’]
[○ Month ○ Day. Living in the Midas household often makes me feel out of place due to the drastically different environment compared to my mercenary days.
The needlessly spacious and luxurious room, the meals that appear regularly without any preparation on my part.
Especially the meals. A huge table is always laden with a generous amount of food, and they sprinkle some strange powder on it.
According to Chrom, it’s some kind of medicine that enhances physical abilities with prolonged use. When I asked about the price as a test, he told me it was best not to know.
It’s fascinating to watch him grumbling about “terrible cost-effectiveness” and “absorbing nutrients is a talent too” while stuffing his face with meat.
Is he really full after eating so little?]
[○ Month ○ Day. A martial arts instructor came.
He’s a knight who retired from service in the royal family due to bribery charges. Chrom said, “No one else would work for our family.”
But he seemed skilled, definitely stronger than me at the moment. And by the way, stop with that creepy “Lady Regret” title.]
[○ Month ○ Day. Physical training has been added to Chrom’s daily schedule.
I ended up joining him, following the former knight’s instructions, but it somehow turned into a running competition with Chrom.
In the end, Chrom collapsed, pale and exhausted, and asked if I had ever trained like this before. When I replied, “Where would I have had the time?”, he looked even worse.]
[○ Month ○ Day. It’s refreshing to move my body, but I feel a little unfulfilled having to match Chrom’s pace.
After several civilized conversations, we changed the training method. Now, when Chrom gets tired and can’t run anymore, I carry him on my back and continue running.
He yelled at me to put him down, so I deliberately chose rough terrain. He soon quieted down.
The contrast between Chrom’s resigned expression and the former knight’s twitching lips as he desperately tried to suppress something was quite memorable.
Who told you to mess with my title?]
[○ Month ○ Day. I started learning martial arts properly from the former knight.
Chrom seemed to be trying his best, but the results weren’t impressive.
Well, I’m not one to talk. I managed to land a few hits with the wooden sword, but I couldn’t take him down. He’s strong.
The former knight, with a slightly darker expression than usual, assessed that Chrom had decent talent.
He trailed off when it came to me, saying it wasn’t his place to judge. I didn’t press him.]
[○ Month ○ Day. I accompanied Chrom as his bodyguard on a Midas Trading Company errand.
Chrom, as usual, used his silver tongue on the debtor who was struggling to repay their debt and ended up taking a bunch of books they owned.
I received books about various weapon techniques, and my robber-like employer, after skimming through various books himself, grabbed the ones related to crossbows and throwing weapons.
When he asked me what I wanted, I said “all of them.” He gave me a strange look. I don’t understand what he meant by muttering, “Damn, a full-equipment build is hard” and “But the final stats…” ]
-Thump.
Regret closed her diary, thinking,
All things considered, this life wasn’t so bad.
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Well, seems like our MC is going for a Thief-like build with crossbow and throwing weapons combined with his silver tongue and talent for looting, while Regret is basically a D&D Fighter who uses all kinds of weapons perfectly, we know our future party(harem?) will include a noble Mage(Heir of Blue and Red Blood) and a Barbarian, probably a Priest-archetype too(a Saintess if I know how that stuff usually goes), but that still leaves 1 Template, could be a Knight(but that might be stepping on the War Ghost’s toes a bit…) or maybe an Elf Ranger? Technically speaking the group is already balanced so it could go almost anywhere